Musical toy hoop



July 26, 1960 L. R. RUBIN MUSICAL TOY HOOP Filed Sept. -l5, 1958 FIG. 3

FIG. 2

INVENTOR. LEONARD a RUBIN BY MM H W ATTORNEY United States PatentMUSICAL TOY HOOP Leonard R. Rubin, Wynnewood, Pa., assignor to HarryRubin & Sons, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of PennsylvaniaFiled Sept. 15, 1958, Ser. No. 761,025

1 Claim. (Cl. 46-175) The present invention relates to a toy hoop, andmore particularly to a toy hoop which may be revolved about the usersbody, or a body member of the user.

The rotation of hoops about ones body or body member, such as an arm orones neck, has a great appeal to a wide variety of persons. Thus, thesatisfactory rotation of a hoop of this nature requires a fair degree ofskill. Moreover, the rotation of hoops constitutes an excellent form ofexercise, and furthermore serves to develop good coordination andreflexes.

For these and other reasons, toy hoops formed from lightweight butdurable and scratch resistant plastic materials have achieved widespreadacceptance.

This invention has as an object the provision of a novel toy hoop.

This invention has as another object the provision of a toy hoop whichgives off an audible sound when rotated.

This invention has as yet another object the provision of a toy hopwhich will enable its user to audibly gauge the degree of effectivenessof rotation of such hoop.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention there is shown in thedrawings forms which are presently preferred; it being understood,however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangementsand instrumentalities shown.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters refer tolike parts:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the toy hoop of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the toy hoop of the presentinvention shown in Figure 1 taken through a portion of the hoop whichcarries a bell.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of- Figure 2 butrevealing another embodiment of the present invention.

The toy hoop of the present invention is designated generally as 10. Toyhoop should be of an internal diameter which is sufficiently large toenable such toy hoop to be spun or rotated about a persons body, as wellas about the body members, such as arms or legs. As a general rule theinternal diameter of toy hoops of the present invention should be atleast twelve inches, and preferably greater than this length. I havefound that the most satisfactory internal diameter generally liesbetween thirty and thirty-four inches, although this figure can bevaried.

The toy hoop 10 is preferably formed of an extruded plastic tubing whichis light in weight and yet durable and capable of resisting abrasion,shock, and the other disturbances encountered in the normal use of thehoop 10. I have found that extruded polyethylene is particularly usefulfor forming the toy hoop 10, but that other plastic materials may beutilized.

In the drawings, the tubing which forms the hoop 10 is designated 12 andcomprises polyethylene tubing having ridges 14 on its exterior surface.The tubing 12 may be colored, or may be translucent, or opaque. I

2,946,152 Patented July 26, 1960 "ice 2 have found that tubing having anoutside diameter of from three-quarters to one and one-quarter inches issatisfactory, and that such tubing may have a relatively thin wallthickness, such as of the order of about onesixteenth inch or so.

The ridges 14 which confer both frictional and strength characteristicsupon the tubing 12 are not essential, and it is to be understood thatthe toy hoop of the present invention comprehends hoops having acompletely smooth outer surface.

The toy hoop 10 of the present invention may have its abutting ends 16and 18 cemented or otherwise adhesively joined together, or the same maybe joined by other means, such as thermosealing. Alternatively, as inthe illustrated embodiment, the ends 16 and 18 may be joined togetherthrough the use of an interior plugfitting 20 which frictionally engagesthe interior wall surface of the ends 16 and 18. Staples 22, oranalogous means, may be used to insure engagement between the plugfitting 20 and the tubing 12.

The interior of the tubing 12 is provided with means for creating sound,which in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, comprises a hell orbells 24. The hell or bells 24 may be free to rotate within the interiorof tubing 12. If desired, one or more compartmentation plugs 26 may beprovided within the interior of toy hoop 10. Such plugs may comprise acircular disc, wedged or press fitted within the tubing 12. Separatebells 24 may be provided in each of the compartments within the'hoop 10.Alternatively, the use of compartmentation plugs 26 may be unnecessaryor undesirable depending upon the tastes of the user, and the presentinvention comprehends a toy hoop 10 which is devoid of interiorcompartmentation.

The wall of the tubing 12 may be perforated, as by holes 28, or may beimperforate. The use of a perforated tubing has the advantage ofproviding release for the sounds generated within the interior of thetubing, and may also add an additional component of sound due to thewhistle efiect of the tubing moving through the air.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the tubing 30 is imperforate.Preferably, the toy hoop 10a is noncompartmented.

The means for creating sound in the embodiment of Figure 3 comprisesgranules 32. Such granules 32 may include a wide variety of materials,such as buckshot, rice, wheat, and other grains, gravel, etc. Themovement of the granules 32 within the tubing 30 produces the sound. 7

The toy hoop of the present invention will emit a sound when rotated bythe user, such as when spun about the users body. A skilled user cangauge the extent of rotation from the sound being emitted from hisspecific toy hoop, since each hoop will have a particular soundcharacteristic which will depend upon the extent and rate of rotation atwhich the hoop is traveling.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and,accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claim, rather thanto the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

I claim:

A toy hoop comprising a substantially circular closed loop of a lightweight durable plastic hollow tubing, the ends of said tubing beingjoined together in endwise abutting relation by a plug fitting disposedwithin the interior of the two ends and frictionally engaging theinterior wall surface of the ends, said hoop having an internal diameterof at least 12 inches, a plurality of circumferentially spacedcompartmentation plugs press fitted within the interior of the hollowtubing, said plugs cooperating with said tubing to form closedcompartments within said tubing and thereby prevent communicationbetween adjacent compartments, means for creating sound upon therotation of the hoop disposed Within the hollow tubing and between thecompartmentation plugs; and ridges extending along the entire length ofthe outer surface of the hollow tubing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

